124010 VO Introduction to Cultural Theories (2012S)

This lecture course will introduce you to major theoretical approaches, key practices and selected issues relevant to the study of culture/s. Cultural Studies makes use of a plurality of approaches and methodologies which have been developed in the contexts of different disciplines and positions, ranging from philosophy to sociology, from Marxism to psychoanalysis, or from linguistics to literary theory. This diversity also reflects the plurality of possible meanings that can be associated with the concept of culture. Cultural Studies draws on these different disciplines and positions either by adopting a conceptual framework derived from them - for instance theories of meaning from linguistics, or the concept of the dynamics of loss and desire from psychoanalysis; or by rejecting or displacing concepts essential to them, such as the concept of the unified subject or the concept of truth. We will learn about the production and consumption of cultural artefacts and investigate key issues such as culture and meaning making processes, identities shaped by gender, race or class or the interrelation between power and knowledge. There will also be the opportunity to "do" cultural studies and we will apply theoretical models to a wide range of cultural material with a focus on visual representations.